-1446- All up to you now

Before Mistgun, suspended high in the sky, a black tide of armored beetles surged forward unimpeded, flooding towards the floating city in overwhelming numbers that made one's scalp tingle.

The sheer quantity of them was still as daunting as ever.

However, the Sky Wizards blocking their path dispersed in all directions, as if welcoming the arrival of the armored beetles. They spread out to the left, right, above, and below, leaving a clear path for the enemy to pass through the middle.

The scene was utterly incomprehensible.

If anyone else had issued such an order, telling the Sky Wizards to form such a formation, even if that person had considerable authority, the Sky Wizards would not have followed it so calmly without knowing the reason behind it.

To clear a path and welcome the armored beetles into their homeland—such an act would seem like sheer madness.

But Rozen did exactly that.

And all the Sky Wizards followed suit.

It wasn't until the armored beetles were about to reach Mistgun that Rozen's voice once again resounded in each of the Sky Wizards' ears.

"Fire!"

This brief command prompted the Sky Wizards to raise their alchemized magical weapons.

The direction they aimed at, however, was not the approaching beetles but specific coordinates within the swarm.

If someone observed closely, they would notice that these coordinates were all in areas where the armored beetles were most densely packed.

Now, each Sky Wizard fired upon those coordinates.

"Bang bang bang bang bang—!"

With a series of fierce gunfire, countless magical bullets and magical cannon shots echoed, raining down like a torrential downpour on the designated coordinates.

"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"

Under the barrage of explosions, magical bullets and cannon shots concentrated on those spots, stirring up shockwaves and intense heat.

The armored beetles caught in the blasts were shattered without exception.

Even those not directly hit were affected, suffering burns from the shockwaves and heat.

This concentrated volley tore the black tide of armored beetles into several pieces.

Then, something astonishing happened.

Even after the armored beetles in the targeted areas were completely annihilated, the Sky Wizards did not stop firing.

The concentrated magical bullets and cannon shots collided and clashed in the now-empty spaces, eventually triggering even larger, more intense explosions.

The shockwaves and heat waves spread without pause, like an erupting volcano, engulfing all nearby armored beetles.

The Sky Wizards, who had positioned themselves on both sides of the path leading to Mistgun, continued firing, causing the shockwaves and heat waves to expand further, swallowing countless armored beetles.

In an instant, the beetles caught in the explosions were incinerated into ashes.

The tide of armored beetles was increasingly torn apart, as if giant, expanding holes were being blasted into it, or like a black cloth with multiple spots of fire, the destruction spreading rapidly, wiping out large numbers of the enemy.

"Can you even do that...?!"

"Wow..."

Everyone in the command center who witnessed this scene was stunned, unable to react for a long while.

"I see, it's not about defeating the enemy with the bullets and cannons themselves, but about using the phenomenon of magical collisions to create a large-scale extermination."

Freon stared intently at the scene displayed on the screen.

Meanwhile, Misora, Lecty, and Rico were already dumbfounded, unable to respond.

Only Rozen spoke calmly.

"It's not over yet."

Indeed.

It wasn't over.

Using the phenomenon of expanding explosions caused by magical collisions to wipe out large numbers of armored beetles was certainly effective, but the beetles were not mindless automatons that would keep charging into the fire.

Seeing the Sky Wizards on either side concentrating their fire, the beetles on the edges had already turned and were attacking the Sky Wizards on the flanks.

The beetles failed to notice that only a portion of the Sky Wizards were engaging in the concentrated fire.

The Wizards positioned in the rear were launching long-range attacks, aiming at specific coordinates in the center of the beetle swarm, continuing their bombardment.

Meanwhile, those in the center were still on standby.

Because...

"It's your turn now!"

Rozen gave the order without hesitation.

"At the previously designated coordinates—Center formation, all units, fire!"

Upon hearing this, the central Sky Wizards immediately pulled their triggers, finally beginning their assault.

However, the coordinates they targeted were not the center of the beetle swarm but specific points right in front of them.

"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"

Immediately, as the magical bullets and cannon shots collided at each coordinate, explosions and heat waves erupted like volcanic eruptions, forming new, highly dangerous barriers.

These barriers stood in front of the approaching beetles, luring them into a death trap.

The beetles at the forefront, unable to stop in time, rushed into the explosions and were incinerated.

Those who managed to halt their advance hesitated, unsure whether to proceed or retreat, only to find the shockwaves and heat waves from the rear were closing in as well.

Caught between the expanding explosions at the front and back, the beetles were trapped with no way forward or back. When the shockwaves and heat waves finally met, they were all consumed, burned to nothing.

Of course, this was in the sky, not on the ground, so some beetles managed to escape by moving in other directions.

Unfortunately for them, they didn't realize that they were heading straight into another trap.

"Vanguard, advance!"

With Rozen's command, the vanguard, who had been on standby, charged at the escaping beetles with their close-combat weapons, shouting battle cries.

"Splurt!" "Splurt!" "Splurt!"

The sounds of the alchemized weapons slicing through the beetles echoed through the sky, spilling their blood.

Under Rozen's command, Mistgun's forces continued to slaughter the armored beetles in this manner.

And they didn't stop their bombardment, keeping the magical bullets and cannon shots colliding, creating a barrier of shockwaves and flames that served as a more reliable defense line than the previous one formed by the Sky Wizards.

This new barrier meant certain death for any enemy that approached it.

The beetles in the rear could no longer advance and came to a complete halt.

"Now's the time."

Rozen's voice echoed again.

But this time, it only reached one person's ears.

"Chloe."

The person Rozen addressed was none other than Chloe Sevegny, who had already plunged deep into the beetle swarm and was now positioned behind them.

"It's all up to you now."

Without issuing any specific instructions or orders, Rozen merely spoke these words to Chloe.

Yet Chloe seemed to understand the meaning behind Rozen's words, smiling faintly.

In the next moment...

"Boom!"

A terrifying surge of mana erupted from Chloe's body.

This mana was both deep and oppressive.